The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-08-15
A WATERS RESTAURANT.
One Of the Queer Eating Places OF
Gotham.


Gotham.
NEW YORK, Aug 13.-Reading recently
about the cheap tables d'hota determined
to pGtronize the more prominent, although
may observe en- pdssdnt that my eating is
the last thing ] seek to economize, as inferior
food is harmful, and there is everything in
the style meal is served.
struggled midday into 40-cent place
on West Twenty fifth street, thinking that
would try the dejeuner and there would
not be so much of a crowd. Imagine my
surprise on entering to find the little salon
"a basement of high-stooped house
crowded with a distinguished ap-
pearing assembly, a glance revealing
that they We're all clearly shaven
and attired in dress suits. A sec
ond glance revealed to me the familiar
other fashionable uptown cafes and restau-
rants. There was the pale faced, dark-eyed
and spirituele Francois from Dels; the
sturdy, good-natured Fritz from the Hoff-
man; the tall. military looking Henri from
the St James; the swarthy, saturnine and
sleek Auguste from the Brunswick; the
portly, rotund, bald and blue-blooded Emil
from the GilSey. Compelled by their duties
to be clcanly shaved and neat i'll their attire,
this gathering at dejeuner of the swell
walters Of the swell restaurants was a more
congenial asscmblage than the heteroge-
neous and untidy lot of small pay clerks
and poor gentlemen generally encountered
in the cheap restaurants.
Thinking of the joke that will he ex-
planned, | managed TO escape observation by
sinking into seat near the door among
some strange walters whom | did not iden-
tify and who did not recognize me- proba-
bly, concluding | was one of the poor clerks
who dined in the place.
1t is a singular fact which all men about
town will now recognize if they have not
done so before, that thore is always strik-
ing resemblance among walters to distin-
gushed men, whether intentional on their
part or not / am not prepared to say; and
here | discovered a Charles Dickens, a Perc
Hyacinthe, a Gladstone, Cleveland, q
Carl Schurz, Gen. Grant, Disraeli, u
Fechter, Booth, a Joe Emmett.
When | entered all We're devoting them
selves to the meal and an excellent meal it
was, too, superior, indeed, for the price, 40
cents, including small bottle OF win ordn-
aire
After coffee cigars and cigarettes were
lighted, and soon the place was a cloud of
smoke, ana there was conversation in
French, German and Italian, with the non
chalance and sangfroid of those to the
manor born, which to me who had seen
most of those walters on obsequiOuS duty
and alert for the inevitable douceur, was
simply very amusing There were no table
bells, because everything was served in
course with military precision, and mine
hosts eye could be caught by raising the
finger | regretted the absence of the bell
for the reason that / an sure sounding
it would have brought nearly all
of the walters, suddenly taken off
guard, to their feet, in custom
ary obedience to the summons | tapped
the glass with my knife after the fashion of
many in restaurants, and there was a gen
eral Involuntary glance towards me. Many
commenced playing cards on the cleared
tables. Gaming, have since learned, is the
favorlte pastime of the foreign walters.
Watching a good moment, | exclaimed,
'Didon! Garconr Immediately half the
crowd arose to their feet before recovering
from their surprise. In an instant the host
was at my side, whispering. RAISE your
iinge. when you want anything; I'll see
you" Francois recognized me, and leaving
his companions came over to my side and
explained to me that the walters never eat
their breakfasts at the places where they
are engaged, but always took this,
their principal meal, here. He further
informed me that the proprietor had
formerly been chef at Delmonico's,
and that the cooking was equal to that OF
any of the fashionable places "If it was
not good, he said confidentally, ''you may
know we would not come here, for we, Mon
sieur, know what good cooking and eating
is" He continued that the proprietor sublet
the other part of his house for sufficient to
reduce the rental of this portion to a nomi-
nal sum; that he purchased his supplies ut
the market himself, and that cooking and
running things himself most economically
he could afford to serve really excellent
meals for the small sum charged. The win
ordinaire was California claret, which was
cheaper than the imported wine, and often
US good if not better.
'LadditiOn sill vous p!ais!n | exclaimed
and there was a f1utter of hands reaching for
pads in the pockets before the trick was dis
covered, and then Francois scowlcd at me
but controlled himself, observing, Mon
sieur is joker, but his little joke might lead
to trouble if there was any drunken one
here. Some of these men would not hest
tate to stab Monsieur for his remark. W.
walters in private life do not lileto be remind
ed of our duties in service We consider
ourselves the aristocracy of this place and
the Americans who come here to dine take
our leavings,n he added disdainfully.
JOHN DARME.
BUFFALO BILLS BARBECUE.